C-3PO was right: Let the Wookiee win, especially if he's part of such a fun literary Force.

Chewbacca is the latest "Star Wars" character to be immortalized in foldable art in "The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee" (Amulet Books, $12.95). The third book in Tom Angleberger's hit Origami Yoda series roars into stores today.

The series - which includes "The Strange Case of Origami Yoda" and its sequel "Darth Paper Strikes Back" - has sold more than 1 million copies and won accolades such as the Texas Bluebonnet Award. Not bad for a humorous series that tackles middle-school life much like Jeff Kinney's "Wimpy Kid" books, only with "Star Wars" references and paper craft.

At the heart of this saga is Dwight Tharp, a weird kid with a paper Yoda finger puppet at McQuarrie Middle School. The little Jedi Master croaks out dating advice and other wisdom to Tommy Lomax and his fellow McQuarrie students - wisdom so eerily helpful and prescient that Tommy scribbles together a case file to discover the truth about Origami Yoda.

"Fortune Wookiee" takes place a few days after "Darth Paper" with Dwight at Tippett Academy, leaving Tommy and friends without Origami Yoda's guidance. Then Tommy's dream girl Sara reveals a gift she says is from Dwight - a paper fortuneteller made to look like everyone's favorite Wookiee warrior.

Angleberger answered some questions about his new book and what inspires his quirky junior high galaxy.

Q: Your first two Yoda Origami books play with Yoda and Darth Vader, two of the most powerful Force users in the "Star Wars" universe. Why go Wookiee for your new book? Was Obi-Wan Kenobi's beard too hard to fold?

A: Obi-Wan may get his day, because I am a big Obi-Wan fan. A couple of things happened. For one thing, when the second book was coming out, we had a poll about who people wanted to see. And Darth Vader was first by a mile but a strong second place was Chewbacca and Han Solo. So that was already in my head, I guess.

And then I got an email from ("Thirteen Reasons Why" author) Jay Asher … and (it) says, "You should make a book where they make a Chewbacca out of one of those old cootie-catcher fortunetellers. And you could call it Fortune Wookiee." People give me ideas all the time, and usually I politely score them out. But in this case, I wrote back and said I really want that idea. And that night the book just started pouring out.

Q: I like how McQuarrie Middle School is a nod to the late Ralph McQuarrie, best known for his "Star Wars" concept art. Are there any "Star Wars" Easter eggs from this new book that you can point out?

A: The fun thing about the new book is that Chewbacca, obviously his advice might be good but you can't understand what he's saying. So very quickly it was obvious nobody would be able to understand him, so he would need a translator. And that just makes it perfect to have Han Foldo show up. So Han Foldo is the interpreter.

Q: Take us back to the first time you knew "Star Wars" was something you loved.

A: I was, like, 6 years old. I started getting action figures. I just absorbed "Star Wars" all the time from when I was 6 until now. I really was a true fan.

And then one day I'm looking on the Internet, and there's an origami Yoda. And I was also an origami folder from way back. I got started on that when I was 4 or so. So when those two things came together, it was just incredible. It was huge for me.

A: It was his Yoda that I saw first. And all these years later, I've folded a lot of Yodas, and I've seen a lot of Yodas, and I still think his is the best one. So I always try to give credit to him. He is a fantastic folder. He did origami Yoda before me.

To him it inspired a really perfect paper Yoda. And to me it inspired a really lousy paper Yoda that I folded, but it also came pouring out as this series of books.

Q: So why go with middle school for your Origami Yoda setting?

A: I have dabbled a little bit in picture books, but really the people that I want to write for are middle school kids and elementary school kids, what we call the midgrade readers. …

It would be very tempting to find out what happens to Dwight when he goes to college and write a book for adults about what Dwight does when he gets to college. But that's just not who I am. I don't really have an adult book in me.

I want to write for kids. And hopefully, a certain amount of adults are going to pick it up, even though it is a kid's book.

Q: It's interesting you mention that, because your first novel attempt was in eighth grade, right?

A: The funny thing is, when I look back on it, I was trying to write an adult book when I was in middle school. And now that I'm an adult, I realize, "Oh, I'm much better at writing middle school books."

Q: It sounds like it's almost come to this weird full circle.

A: Oh, it absolutely is. If you saw me stumbling around middle school, looking like a nerd, folding origami or quoting "Star Wars" lines, you would have said, "Well, this guy is hopeless." Instead, it turned out that my weaknesses are now my best strengths. "Star Wars" and origami are what I've got to share with people.

And the funny thing is, nobody wanted to have anything to do with me when I was in middle school. Now that I'm writing about all that, now they're interested.

For instructions on crafting your own Origami Yoda and other "Star Wars" characters, visit origamiyoda.com.